Semua Bab The Delayed Wedding: I Refuse It: Bab 1 - Bab 10

I went back to the bedroom and pulled the document out from the bottom drawer.The black wax seal was still perfectly intact.But beside it, where the family council's certification should have been, there was nothing.Luca's call came in while I was still standing in the bedroom, staring at that marriage registry."Baby, I have to go to Italy tomorrow," he said, his voice low and lazy, like he was coaxing me. "The wedding may need to be pushed back a few days. When I come back, I'll give you an even grander ceremony. Okay?"The rain outside was heavy.I held the edge of the document and suddenly remembered the final deadline my father had given me last month.If the Moretti family still refused to publicly acknowledge the marriage by this holiday, the partnership between Castellano and Moretti would be terminated immediately. And I would have to go home and accept the alliance marriage my father had arranged.After a few seconds of silence, I answered softly, "Okay. I have other plans

"Then let's not pretend there's still a wedding to postpone," I said, pulling the suitcase zipper closed. "You won't even be in New York tomorrow. What exactly am I supposed to stay here for?"For once, Luca didn't have an answer ready.He watched me for a few seconds, then his voice softened. "I said postponed, not canceled. Something came up in Italy. The port permits, the council votes—everything tied to the southern route is sitting on this negotiation. I can't walk away from it."It was the kind of explanation I used to accept before he even finished saying it.Moretti had spent years trying to earn real recognition from the Five Families. Luca had fought for every shipping route, every dock permit, every private dinner where men in dark suits decided who was allowed closer to the inner circle. I knew what the southern route meant to him.But tonight, I was too tired to help him make excuses."Then handle it," I said, slipping my passport into the suitcase. "I have things to deal

By the time the car reached the Castellano estate on Lake Como, dawn was beginning to lift over the water.The road curved through cypress trees and wet stone walls, down toward a pale villa sitting above the lake. There were no marble lions, no men standing around with guns on display, no expensive noise meant to impress visitors. Only quiet guards, dark windows, and the kind of order that did not need to announce itself.It was nothing like Luca's high-rise apartment in New York. Moretti's wealth felt loud by comparison. Moretti liked power where people could see it—sports cars, cigars, metal cuff links, the sharp glitter of a family still trying to prove it belonged.Castellano never had to prove anything.When the car stopped in front of the main house, Alfred was already waiting on the steps with two men behind him. He lowered his head when he saw me."Miss Castellano. Welcome home."Agnes stood behind me with her old handbag clutched to her chest, frozen in place. I could not bla

After the call ended, Vanessa stood on the terrace with the phone still in her hand. The sea wind lifted the thin strap of her white dress against her shoulder, but she did not move. For a few seconds, the smile on her face stayed exactly where it was, stiff and unnatural.Luca came out of the bedroom with his shirt half-buttoned, his hair still damp from the shower. He glanced at her, then at the dark screen in her palm."Who were you talking to?"Vanessa blinked and quickly turned the phone face down on the table. "Selene. I was asking if the southern-route document had arrived."Luca did not answer right away.He had heard something on the other end of the call. Not enough to accuse her of anything, but enough to make him uncomfortable. Selene's voice had been too soft, too close to someone else. It was not the voice of a woman sitting alone in his apartment, waiting for him to come back.For a moment, the thought stayed with him.Then he pushed it down.He picked up his phone and s

Luca's hand went still.His eyes moved from Lucien's face to the red mark his fingers had left around my wrist. For a moment, his expression turned ugly, but in the end, he let go.Not because he wanted to. Because even Luca Moretti knew the De Santis name was not something Moretti could challenge in a Castellano sitting room.Vanessa stood beside him, pale and silent. I could almost see the calculation falling apart behind her eyes. She had expected to walk into this house with Luca beside her, borrow my family's weight for one evening, and leave before anyone important noticed.Luca forced himself to look away from my wrist. When he spoke, his voice was cold. "Mr. De Santis, this is between Selene and me."Lucien removed his glove slowly and handed it to the man behind him. "Not since she signed the De Santis registry."The room went quiet.Luca's eyes sharpened. "Registry?"Alfred stepped to my side with a dark leather folder in his hands. His posture was as proper as ever, his voic